Improvement in engine-levers



UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. GODVIN, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN' ENGINE-LEVERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,364, dated April 28, 1863.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. GonwiN, of Portsmouth, in the county of Norfolk, in the State of Virginia, have invented a new, useful, and Improved EngineLever; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation with the lever at the right hand. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the lever at the left hand. Fig. 3 isa front sectional elevation. Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the lower end of the lever.

The letters in all the figures refer to the saine parts.

a is an enginelever, the lower end of which works on the main shaft b of machinery driven by steam or any other motive power. At cc are slots, in which Vdogs or pawls d l are placed and worked. These dogs are made to work closely and easily, being at their lower end and inner sidea quarter-circle, d d, so as to allow of an easy and ready rising out of the notches ofthe ratchet s. In the outside prongs or legs e e are slots e e', in which hinged joints ff work, and are attached to the dogs d d by screws g g. That part of these hinged joints which works in the slot e should lit closely and move easily. At h is a cross balance-bar working on the pivot k, which in its shank is square through the spring n. and the crossbalance-bar h. At each end of the balancebar connecting-rods 'm m are attached. The lower ends of these connecting-rods are attached to the hinged joints j'j, and are designed to govern the movement of the dogs d d. Ata right angle with the cross balancebar h is the lower end of a spring, n, which is sustained in position by the pivot or bolt lo, the pivot being square through the spring. In this the lower part of the spring are two pins, o o, each of which is at the same distance from the pivot k that the connecting rods m are. At the upper end of the spring n is an eccentric loop, p, moving on and held in position by a pin, p', with ahandle, r, so that the eccentric loop can be turned to the right or left as necessary, all which is designed to put in or out of working position, either one or the other of the dogs d d, or put both dogs out of working position. A ratchet-wheel, s, is firmly fastened tothe main shaft of machinery. This ratchet-wheel is made of two disks, between which the lower end of the lever a, Fig. 4, works, and is attached to shaft b, Fig. 4. It is into the notches of this ratchet-wheel that the dogs d d of the lever work. The dogs are to be of the same width of the ratchetwheel. At t t are lugs inclining inward from t to t, against which the pins 0 o in the lower end of the spring n strike and put the lever out of working position. These lugs t t have on their inner side, next to the lever, a notch, so as to allow the head of the pivot k to pass without striking. The lugs t t are attached to the under side of a bed-plate, which has a slot, to, in which the upper end of the lever moves, and when used in connection with vessels is fastened to the deck of the vessel. The slot in this bed-plate next to the spring n is not as long as on the side of the lever, so that the spring striking the end of the slot of the bedplate in which it works before the lever the spring forces ont of working position the dogs, thus preventing any injury that might arise from a sudden starting ofthe machinery.

It is a well-known fact in mechanics that in the working of machinery there are certain positions which are called deadpoints,7 and to meet this difiiculty-not to obviate-I designed in my invention to produce a means of starting in motion the main shaft of machinery driven by steam or any other motive power.

In my invention I have had also in view the saving of time by so arranging the lever, as and confined in a bed-plate of metal, and its working movement changed right or left, as may be necessary or desired in the most convenient manner.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The lower end of the lever having slots c c and e c', dogs d d d df, and hingedjoints f, Figs. l, 2, 8, and 4, when used as and for the purpose herein described.

2. The cross balance-bar hand the pivot k, when used as and for the purpose herein described.

3. The spring n and the pins o o, or their equivalents, when used as and for the purpose Works 0n a main shaft, b, al1 constructed subherein described. stantiaily and for the purpose specified.

4c. The eccentric loop p, the pin pf, and the In Witness that I claim the foregoingl have handle r, when used as and for the purpose hereunto set my hand. herein described. 1

5. The lugst t', when used as and for the pur- .y THOS W' (JODWIN' pose herein described. 6. rlhe ratchet-Wheel s, made oftwo disks, s 1

In presence of- D. E. SOMES,

s', between which the lower end of the lever a LYSANDER HILL. 

